Bottle holder



1 G. R. ASTLEFORD 2,666,613

BOTTLE HOLDER Filed July 26, 1950 flak)" Gi /232M7 4 bottle holder.

Patented Jan. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES TENT o1-"F1c1e:

BOTTLE HOLDER Grant R. Astleford, Minneapolis, Minn.

I Application July 26, 1950, Serial No. 175,933 I 1 Claim. (01. 248-313) My invention relates and, more specifically to. means for supporting bottles in refrigerators and the like.

The storage of bottled beverages and the like in the cooling chamber of a refrigerator usually presents a problem due to the fact that the space in conventional household refrigerators sufficiently tall to receive the bottles inan upright position is usually relatively limited. Moreover, stacking of the bottles in a recumbent position is difiicult, and laying the same side-by-side on refrigerator shelves reduces the space required for other foodstuffs to a prohibited degree.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of means whereby bottled goods and the like may be supported in spaces not otherwise utilized in a cooling chamber.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a bottle supporting device as set forth which may be quickly applied to a bottle and attached to a refrigerator shelf with a minimum of effort.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a holder of the above type which will permit insertion of bottled goods into a cooling chamber and removal of the bottles therefrom without disturbing other articles stored in the chamber.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a bottle holder as set forth which is simple and inexpensive to produce, and which is efficient in operation and durable in use. The above and other highly important objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claim, and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in front elevation of a conventional household refrigerator, the door thereof being removed and some parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section of one of the storage shelves of Fig. 1 showing my novel bottle holder attached thereto; and

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of my novel Referring with greater detail to the drawings, a conventional household refrigerator is indicated at A and is shown as being provided with verticallyspaced shelves B which are adapted to hold foodstuffs in various containers X. The

shelves B are conventional in design, comprising frame members D and spaced shelf-forming bars generally to bottle holders 2 j or the like E. The shelves B are supported by suitable means such as brackets F on the interior wall of the refrigerator A.

My improved bottle holder comprises a generally cylindrical ring or band I which is longitudinally split as indicated at 2. The ring I is preferably made from flexible resilient sheet material such as steel, brass, or hard aluminum and is adapted to embrace and frictionally hold the main body portion of a beverage bottle or the like Y. The resilient nature of the ring I permits its being applicable to bottles of various body sizes within, a given range and hold the same against accidental slippage.

lhe split clamping ring I is provided with a resilient anchoring tongue 3, which is circumferentially spaced from the split 2 therein and extends therefrom in a plane perpendicular to the axis thereof, the inner end of the tongue 3 being fixedly secured to the ring I, and the outer end and sides thereof being free of the ring. Tongue 3 extends'from its fixed inner end outwardly of the ring to an intermediate portion 4 and from thence toward and substantially to the outer surface of the ring I to define with the ring a supporting wire receiving opening 6 axially of the ring. The free end portion of the tongue 3 is turned outwardly from the peripheral por tion of the ring to define therewith a normally closed inlet passage 1 to said opening 6, facilitating forced insertion of the wire E by cam action on the lip 8.

In use, it is but necessary to slidably move the clamping ring I downwardly over the body of the bottle Y to approximately its central position, after which the supporting hook 3 is mounted on one of the shelf-forming bars E by introducing the bar E into the gap between the lip 8 and the adjacent outer wall portion of the ring I. Relative movement of the bar E toward the opening 6 causes the end portion 1 of the tongue 3 to be cammed outwardly. As the bar E moves into the passage 6, the resilience of the tongue 3 urges the free end portion 1 thereof back to its normal position. The free end portion 7 of the tongue 3 is biased toward its normal position with sufiicient force to prevent accidental disengagement of the tongue 3 from the rod E to which it is applied. However, when it is desired to remove the ring I from the bar E, it is but necessary to manually impart a'lateral or rotary motion to the clamping ring I in a direction to cause the cooperating bar E to be moved laterally outwardly toward the free end portion I of the tongue 3.

As above indicated, my novel bottle holder enables the user to store bottles above foodstuifs contained in the cooling chamber, thus efiecting a substantial savings in storage space. Furthermore, the bottles together With the holders I may be quickly and easily mounted on the refrigerator shelves without disturbing any of the underlying food packages or containers I.

While I have shown and described a commercial embodiment of my novel bottle holder, it will be understood that the same is capable of modification without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claim.

What I claim is:

A bottle holder comprising a split clamping ring having a resilient anchoring tonguecircumferentially spaced from the split therein and extending therefrom in a plane perpendicular to the axis thereof, the inner end of the. tongue being fixedly secured to the ring and the outer end and sides thereof being free of the ring, the tongue extending from its fixed inner end outwardly of the ring to'an intermediate portion and from thence back toward and substantially to the outer surface of the ring to define with the ring a supporting wire receiving opening axially of the ring, the free end portion of the tongue being turned outwardly from the peripheral portion of the ring to define therewith .a normally closed inlet passage to said opening allowing forced insertion of a supporting wire by cam action on the lip. 

